Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1887-12-09
MELTING TRADE DOLLARS
CHANGING ruE RNpmnmnp COIN
INTO SILVER mn oNn.
How tho work was Performed n,
the Aaaa, omcc Ia Nrw York
The tsast "Mrit

the ttatt Melt
ON recent Friday afternoon the last
"mclt y of the =. iro 1Ai trade dollars
which have hecn receive ut the United
mates As~ay u,livn Ia Wall street since
the act OF Congress authorizing their
purchase went into elect wa, cnnplctrd
mud the limpid silver MS poured into
tho molds an,l transformed into silver
bricks. 4, 100 To 200 ounces in weight.
A "mclt of silver 40 the Assay O.llce
means .. QUO ouncvs Therefore. IN or,ler
io make way With the whole number of
this three aud a half millions of ttndo
dollars about seven hundred "mcila ;"
were necessary, \ reporter chanccd 20
bo picscnt and stood near the cucihic
whom those last representatives. of u dead
currency slowly lost their individuality
and became shApcleaa glitlcflnu macs.
what - dcnouilnalrd nn "inclomrS 3"
in one of the vaults of the Assay Oncc,
contains over 100 cubic feet of trade dol.
lars which have rnssc through tho
ofociplc aud arc nov sia kod up In the
shape of silver bricks The t.ovaru.
ment has raid about 81 100. 900 fof thcm,
but thcy are useless superintendent
Andrew Mason SAYS. aud unlnsa made
into standard dollars of which thrto n
department cannot lind atofnQe room for
them, a loss Of about 21 per cent would
bo sustained in disnosinp al the notal io
manufacturers and nftlsan4 The far.
nlshing Of gold aud silver bnrs for man.
ulactuting purposes u, Superintendent
Mason says, growing business ut tho
Assay Oil'cr. During the past year these
bars. 10 the value uf so. 900. 900. have
been I'D for use in nrts aud mannfncl.
urcs, an Increase Of $1,000, 900 o OF any
revious year
When the last "mclir Of the trade
dollars had been poured into tho molda
und made into brick. tho reporter Oh
served that two small qtinntltins, per
bhps of grain of two oaeh. were nut
into little rccepiacloa aud sent 10 tho
nhsny room "fhoac, . expinIned AZ.
sisiant Assaycr J. r. Wilder, rare the
snmp'oi for nssnylng. Two arc taken
from Zach melt They are each asaaycd
10y different persons aud their work must
tally. lfitdocs not tlcwork T. repeated
IT the two assays still fail 60 agree tho
whole melt j. remcltcd aud fresh snmpics
taken. Then tho process Is gone through
with avnin.
The greatest care ~ taken" said Alf.
wilder TO guard against inaccuracies.
INC assay iHH - dOnc Wy the Cay lsnHsnc
method. The exact amount 0f metal X
weighed and dissolved ln nitric acid.
Thou enough chlorine Is added 10 pro.
clpiiatc precisely draclm 81 pure ~.
yer. The solution Is then shaken for
three minutes Ia q shaking machine (fnn
by etcam), after which IL IS allowed to
sc ile. Moro salt water Is added every
atom Of which, b taken account ~, and
II any silver remains ia solution II shows
slight clOndincss The operation 4
repeated until no cloud ness appears,
FliowluH that no silver remains IN sOlu.
tion that IL bns aii boon prccipitafoi.
Then calculation u made ~ 10 the *
net iinpncas OF the samples Of silver in
The ttadc dollar, viii b h corrected by
silver pfoosF. When the fnoncss is thor
OuRhly asecrtsinld Il Is stamped upon
the bar or brick which has been formed
by ia melted dollars, together With tho
value, weight, melt nunlcr aud number
Of the Tar. Thon the bir Or brick -,is
sent 10 tic Enclosure befcrc mentioned.
where the other trade dollar brcks are
Kept under combination snfe lock Tle
comb nation of this. a. we'll rs ~ fhe
other safe locks IN tlie building, is known
only ~ superintendent Mason and ono
OilIer trusted Official" Men Ycrk ri
JuHs